939 NW 10th Ave

The lowly egg sandwich gets a highbrow spin at Lovejoy Bakers, where an over-medium egg is paired with a creamy spread of Bleu d’Auvergne cheese and two strips of thick bacon, topped with a refreshing tangle of tarragon and frisée. All this, cradled between lightly buttered ciabatta buns. Parfait. —RR

Multiple locations

Some mornings demand a simple, steaming bundle of fried egg, melted cheese, and sausage. For these days, there is Bunk. Co-owner Tommy Habetz considers the breakfast sandwich to be the foundation of his mini-empire, built on a poppy-seed “hard roll” developed by Fleur de Lis Bakery for Bunk. The proof is in the production: Portlanders scoff some 700 to 1,000 of these bad boys a week.—KC

5507 NE 30th Ave

At first glance, Autentica’s torta con huevo frita (fried egg, avocado, cabbage, and pickled jalapeño) seems a little, well, light. But then you sink your incisors into the bread: telera, a savory, soft, traditional Mexican roll. Pillowy on top and toasted on the inside, it’ll fill you up without requiring you to loosen the old belt. —KC

Multiple locations

The “No.1,” as it reads on this food cart’s menu, is the ultimate grub-on-the-go breakfast sandwich. A fluffy, folded waffle smeared with organic maple spread embraces patties of rich, spiced pork sausage. It’s sweet, savory, and under five dollars … which doesn’t necessarily give you license eat it every day. —BT

Just like mom said: breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And after weeks stuffing ourselves silly while exploring the city’s myriad breakfast joints, we can attest that it also happens to be the most delicious.